THEY battled through stormy weather and cycled over 1,000 miles in a bid to raise £10,000 for charity, and have now arrived home safely.

Five friends completed the challenge of a lifetime from April 4-16 whilst educating children on their travels in the process.

Among them was Lee Grant, 31, of Orchard Close in Alresford near Winchester, who was joined by his brother Adam Grant, 26, 34-year-olds Andrew Martin and Craig Rowson, and 29-year-old Thomas Hasler.

They started at Sun Hill Infant School in Alresford, where Lee’s two children Joseph, seven, and Emillie, five, attend.

They had a big send off from the children, and cycled for three days through Farnborough and London, before catching the ferry to Esbjerg in Denmark.

From there the men battled torrential rain and strong winds, arriving in Copenhagen, before travelling to Malmo and finishing in Norrtalje in Sweden.

So far they have raised £6,500 for CRY, which raises awareness of conditions that lead to young cardiac death and sudden death syndrome. The money will also go to the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, which cared for a former colleague who recently passed away, and R4ft, which offers resources to families caring for children who have experienced neglect, abuse or domestic violence.

The longest day saw them cycle 107 miles and Lee said it was worth it.

“The cycling was the easy part it, it was the weather that hit us hard. We camped so we had ice inside and outside our tents, hail, lightening, thunder, wind and torrential rain," he said.

“Three years ago we cycled to Austria for Scope, so we wanted to make it harder this time. If I can talk my wife into letting me go off again I would like to go further. It will need to be even harder, which scares me a little bit if I am honest!”

The group took Derek the teddy bear with them, and took pictures at various locations along the way which they will present to pupils at Sun Hill School in a special assembly.

Donations are still pouring in, and Lee said they hope to hit £10,000 very soon.